{"id":185178,"date":"2026-03-16T05:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T11:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/sin-categoria\/the-fin-trade-nicaragua-disguises-the-killing-of-thousands-of-sharks-as-bycatch\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T09:01:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T15:01:43","slug":"the-fin-trade-nicaragua-disguises-the-killing-of-thousands-of-sharks-as-bycatch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/the-fin-trade-nicaragua-disguises-the-killing-of-thousands-of-sharks-as-bycatch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fin Trade: Nicaragua Disguises the Killing of Thousands of Sharks as \u201cBycatch\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe buy shark fins,\u201d reads a sign painted on the gable of a house on a busy street in Bluefields, on Nicaragua\u2019s Southern Caribbean coast. It is an exception. Fishing businesses along Nicaragua\u2019s Pacific coast have no signs, but everyone knows who buys shark fins. Along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, what is officially classified as \u201cbycatch\u201d is, in reality, a multimillion-dollar business. <\/p>\n\n

Under the umbrella of the term \u201cbycatch,\u201d Nicaragua has exported tens of thousands of kilograms of dried shark fins in recent years to the Asian market, where they sell for more than $400 per kilo. The trade continues to grow, even as already endangered shark populations decline without any real scientific oversight, according to an investigation by CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong>, carried out with support from Fundaci\u00f3n del R\u00edo\u2014an NGO that was outlawed and confiscated by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, but continues to operate from exile. <\/p>\n\n

Between 2018 and 2024, Nicaragua exported about 39,668.59 kilograms (roughly 39.66 tons) of dried shark fins, according to data from exporters and importers reported to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)<\/a>, which regulates international trade in endangered species.<\/p>\n\n

\"Shark\"<\/figure>\n\n

Hong Kong, the main destination<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The main export destination is Hong Kong, China, the nerve center of the shark fin trade in the world. Nicaragua exported some 38,961.59 kg of shark fins to that region, followed at a great distance by the United States (603 kg) and Mexico (104 kg). <\/p>\n\n

The price per kilo varies depending on quality, species, and size. According to international media reports<\/a>, dried shark fins sell for:<\/p>\n\n